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Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

Abstract

Fairy tales are a contested space in popular culture, often reinforcing hegemonic gender norms while offering sites of resistance. This paper examines Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid (1837) and Disney’s The Little Mermaid (1989) through feminist disability theory to explore how these stories depict the compulsion to perform able-bodiedness and heteronormativity to achieve social belonging. This paper argues that although both versions offer moments of queer and disabled subversion, they ultimately reinforce a cultural fantasy of normative embodiment by positioning mermaids as inherently Other and subhuman. Grounded in the work of scholars such as Rosemarie Garland-Thomson, Judith Butler, and Hannah Helm, the paper draws on feminist disability theory, performativity, and gaze theory to unpack how disability and gender are co-constructed in these texts. The argument traces how systemic ableism shapes the mermaids’ transformations, where physical pain, silence, and disfigurement are framed as necessary sacrifices for attaining human acceptance and love. The little mermaid and Ariel’s bodily modifications, from losing of their tails and voices to their struggles with gendered expectations, reflect a deep-seated narrative that devalues nonnormative embodiment. This analysis demonstrates that, despite apparent acts of resistance, the mermaids’ stories reinscribe patriarchal and ableist hierarchies, suggesting that passing as a human requires the erasure of disabled and queer identities. By situating these tales within a broader cultural and theoretical context, the paper contributes to ongoing conversations in disability studies, gender studies, and fairy-tale scholarship, showing how these enduring myths continue to shape perceptions of gender, ability, and identity.

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